Australian basketball will stare down Father Time after confirmation that 43-year-old Opals star Lauren Jackson and veteran Boomers guard Matthew Dellavedova will play in France.
The pair were confirmed on Sunday for this month’s Olympics, four-time medallist Jackson’s return coming after she had retired with debilitating knee soreness ahead of the 2016 Games.
She made a tentative return in 2022 and announced her international retirement after winning World Cup bronze.
A partial Achilles tear last year was surely the final nail for the Hall of Fame member and three-time WNBA MVP.
But the 2012 Australian flag bearer will add another chapter to an incredible career, Jackson fully fit and again a centrepiece of the world No.3’s assault on four-time defending Olympic champions USA.
It’s the fourth longest gap between Games appearances in Australian Olympic history, Jackson joining Andrew Gaze and current Boomers Patty Mills and Joe Ingles as Australia’s only five-time basketball representatives.
Boomers coach Brian Goorjian has also leaned into…
